The plan seemed simple for Florida State: find an experienced quarterback in the transfer portal and plug him into the team that won the Atlantic Coast Conference last season and is favored to win again.
N.C. State and North Carolina had similar strategies to improve their offenses.
However, things haven’t gone as planned. FSU has struggled with poor quarterback play and is close to being winless. For the Tar Heels and Wolfpack, injuries to their new starters have forced them to change their game plans, resulting in 0-2 starts in the conference.
“It’s just having the ownership of the offense, having guys in the system, that have been with the coordinator,” said ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain, who played offensive line at Clemson.
“That changes a lot all over the place, with new coaches and new players. Having that continuity as the guy and having the reps as the guy, it’s one of those things where you see the drop-off.”
Just as great quarterback play can boost a program—like UNC with Drake Maye, who was picked third overall in the NFL draft—setbacks in this position can become a hurdle. The ACC is experiencing this situation this year.
No. 10 Clemson (4-1, 3-0) is at the top of the ACC standings, with Cade Klubnik among the top 10 in the Bowl Subdivision for touchdown passes (14) and in the top 20 for passing efficiency (two interceptions).
No. 6 Miami (6-0, 2-0) remains unbeaten with Washington State transfer quarterback Cam Ward, leading the FBS in passing offense (369.8 yards) and passing touchdowns (20).
No. 22 Pittsburgh (5-0, 1-0) is thriving with Alabama transfer Eli Holstein, who ranks eighth in passing yards (313.4), is tied for fifth in touchdown throws (15), and is 15th in efficiency. At Syracuse (4-1, 1-1), Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord is second to Ward in passing offense (362.8 yards) and passing scores (17).
“When you have a difference-maker at quarterback, it can just change everything so quickly,” Mac Lain said. Right now, things look very different for the Seminoles, Tar Heels, and Wolfpack.
FSU (1-5, 1-4) has faced many challenges, especially on offense with former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Uiagalelei has averaged 213 yards per game, with four touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 53.8% completion rate.
He missed last week’s loss to Clemson due to a finger injury, which led to redshirt freshman Brock Glenn starting instead. Glenn completed 23 of 41 passes for 228 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception in the 29-13 loss.
“We’ve got to make plays around him as well and we’ve got to be able to get the run game going to take pressure off the quarterbacks,” coach Mike Norvell said. “Obviously, it takes pressure off the offensive line there in some of those situations with the pass rush. But I thought he did a good job.”
N.C. State (3-3, 0-2) intended to rely on graduate transfer Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina, who has thrown for over 10,000 career yards but has a history of concussions.
He has been knocked out of games twice, including last weekend against Wake Forest after a serious hit that required him to be carted off and taken to a hospital for evaluation.
This has pushed the Wolfpack to rely on freshman CJ Bailey, who enrolled midyear and made his first career start at Clemson. He recently had his best game statistically, passing for 272 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Wake Forest. Playing through Bailey’s learning process wasn’t part of the plan for a team expected to finish fourth in the preseason.
“For a freshman quarterback, he’s seen a lot,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said.
As for the Tar Heels (3-3, 0-2), they turned to former LSU and Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson as their starter after a competition during preseason. However, he suffered a serious leg injury on the opening night against Minnesota, ending his season.
The Tar Heels then went with Conner Harrell, who was the runner-up in the preseason, but he was eventually replaced by Jacolby Criswell, marking the third starter in four games. Criswell, who began his career at UNC and transferred to Arkansas before returning, has shown he can throw deep.
Still, UNC’s offense has struggled to keep drives going, converting only 6 of 23 third downs (26.1%) since the loss to Duke on September 28.
Criswell is still relatively new to this role, as he threw nearly as many passes in last weekend’s loss to Pitt (45) as he had in his entire career before this season (58).
For now, the teams are working to improve their quarterback play and hoping for a breakthrough.
“Getting the reps of all the different looks I think for a quarterback is important,” UNC offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. “And an inexperienced quarterback, they haven’t seen all that. They don’t have that library in their head. … I think the more he plays, the better he has gotten and he’s shown that.”
